The invention relates to a sorption device, in particular for use in a cooling system, an air-conditioning apparatus or the like.
By means of sorption devices heat can be transferred from a first heat carrier to a second heat carrier, which has a higher temperature. In the process, a working fluid is sorbed exothermically in a sorbent, and is desorbed again in an endothermic reaction.
Known sorption devices, which can also be used for cooling plants, have elongated sorption containers, for instance in the form of closed pipes. These pipes have been evacuated and contain a sorbent, e.g. a zeolite, in a portion of a about 2/3 their length. This portion constitutes the digester adsorber element. In the other portion, which is about 1/3 their length and constitutes the condensor evaporator element, there is contained a working fluid such as water. Due to the adsorbing effect of the zeolite, the water will evaporate under a vacuum at a temperature of about -5 to 15.degree. C., withdrawing heat from the surroundings. The digester adsorber element heats up as a result of the released heat of adsorption.
When upon termination of the reaction, additional heat is supplied to the digester adsorber element, the same releases the adsorbed water in the form of steam, which in the condensor evaporator element again condenses to form water.
By cooling the heated digester adsorber element to near ambient temperature, and by subsequent heating beyond the ambient temperature it is thus possible to withdraw heat from the condensor evaporator element and utilize the same for instance for cooling a stream of air. The reaction takes place periodically. By combining a plurality of sorption containers and by means of a successive, alternating cooling and heating of the digester adsorber elements a quasicontinous operation can be achieved. From European Patent 0 151 237 B1 a sorption device is known, where a plurality of sorption containers are arranged axially parallel on a circular path and rotate about an axis of rotation. The sorption containers are enclosed by two housings, one of which surrounds the digester adsorber elements, and the other surrounds the condensor evaporator elements. The housings are divided in at least two flow segments, through which the sorption containers pass once during each rotation, and in which there always takes place only one heat supply or one dissipation of heat via a heat transfer medium.
With respect to the digester adsorber elements this means that for dissipating the heat of adsorption and for supplying the heat of desorption separate flows of a heat transfer medium are utilized, between which no heat transfer takes place. When for instance air is utilized for supplying and dissipating heat, on the one hand the ambient air is heated and dissipated during the cooling of the digester adsorber elements, and on the other hand the ambient air is heated for instance by a gas burner and then releases its heat for desorption to the digester adsorber elements. The plant therefore has an unfavorable efficiency.
In the condensor evaporator elements the heat released in the condensation phase is dissipated unutilized, whereas part of the heat absorbed in the evaporation phase is dissipated as condensation heat with a high relative humidity of the supplied air, and is therefore likewise not utilized energetically, unless the apparatus is utilized as an air drying apparatus.
It is the object of the invention to develop a sorption device of the above-mentioned type such that the energy to be expended is utilized optimally, and the efficiency is improved.